Tag: Satellite
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SpaceX IPO Shares Face Fresh Selling Pressure as Another Lockup Expiration Hits the Market
SpaceX shares came under renewed pressure on Aug. 20 as another major tranche of previously restricted stock became eligible for trading, adding billions of dollars’ worth of potential supply to a market already grappling with post-IPO volatility. The latest lockup expiration released approximately 319 million additional shares for potential sale by eligible insiders and early…
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Starlink Reapplies for India Approval of Nearly 30,000 Gen 2 Satellites With Direct-to-Device Capability
Starlink has renewed its push to expand in India, submitting a fresh application to the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) for authorization of nearly 30,000 second-generation satellites in low Earth orbit. The proposed Gen 2 network would add newer capabilities, including direct-to-device (D2D) connectivity, potentially allowing compatible mobile phones and other devices…
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Rocket Lab Targets Ninth iQPS Mission as Japanese SAR Constellation Accelerates Toward Near-Real-Time Earth Observation
Rocket Lab is preparing to launch another Japanese synthetic aperture radar satellite on Aug. 20, adding a new spacecraft to one of the fastest-growing commercial Earth-observation constellations in Asia. The mission, named “The Lightning God Defends,” is scheduled to lift off aboard a Rocket Lab Electron from Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Māhia Peninsula,…
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Intuitive Machines’ Maxar Acquisition Gains Momentum With $600 Million Satellite Order and Orbital Data Center Ambitions
Intuitive Machines’ decision to acquire the former Maxar satellite manufacturing business is beginning to look less like a bet on traditional spacecraft production and more like a strategy to build a vertically integrated space infrastructure company. The clearest evidence came in August 2026, when Intuitive Machines disclosed that it had secured a commercial contract worth…
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U.S. Space Force Extends Aging Weather Satellites Through 2028 as New Military Weather Architecture Takes Shape
The U.S. Space Force will keep its aging Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft operating until at least 2028, extending the life of a satellite fleet that was originally designed for much shorter missions but remains important to military weather forecasting. The decision highlights a transitional period in U.S. military space weather: the Space Force…
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L3Harris Technologies Appoints Sam Mehta as CEO and Lewis Hay III as Board Chairman
L3Harris Technologies has announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Sam Mehta as President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board. In addition, Lewis Hay III, L3Harris’ Lead Independent Director, has been named Independent Chairman of the Board. Christopher Kubasik has stepped down as Chairman and CEO and as a member of…
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ClearSpace Advances In-Orbit Servicing with the PRELUDE Proximity Operations Mission
ClearSpace is advancing the future of in-orbit servicing and sustainable space operations through the PRELUDE mission, a technology demonstration program designed to validate critical proximity operations, rendezvous, navigation and manoeuvring capabilities in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). PRELUDE will demonstrate the technologies required for satellite life extension, robotic servicing, inspection and future capture operations. By combining…
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ASPINA Develops Reaction Wheel Lineup for Small Satellites and CubeSats
ASPINA is developing a lineup of reaction wheels (RWs) for small satellite constellations operating in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), covering five spacecraft classes: 10 kg-class CubeSats, 100 kg-class, 200 kg-class, 300 kg-class and 500 kg-class satellites. The RWs are designed to address demand for competitive cost, shorter lead times and reliable component supply as satellite constellations…
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PlanetiQ Secures $2.73 Million NOAA Contract for GNSS-RO and TEC Data
PlanetiQ announced that it has been awarded a $2.73 million contract by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to provide commercial GNSS Radio Occultation (GNSS-RO) and Total Electron Content (TEC) data through NOAA’s Commercial Data Program. Under the 74-day contract, PlanetiQ will provide NOAA with 4200 GNSS-RO profiles per day and 500 TEC tracks…
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NASA’s Starling Mission Opens New Space Navigation Frontiers
NASA’s Starling mission has marked another milestone in spacecraft autonomy by using a new system that determines a satellite’s position in orbit by referencing other objects in space, instead of relying on a navigational network. The FALCON (Fast Autonomous Lost-in-space Catalog-based Optical Navigation) technology demonstration is a step toward spacecraft being able to operate more…